Sony Mega Watchman repair

[mathsquid]

Over the weekend I picked up a Sony Mega Watchman at an estate sale for $5.  There's no analog TV in the US, but the radio in the unit is still useful, and it was the kind of thing that I'd have loved to have in 1990 or so.

It worked except that the tuning knob didn't do anything.  It had one of the old string-type mechanisms connecting the dial, variable cap, and knob.  A spring kept tension on the string, but the tab that the spring attached to had broken.  I replaced it with a screw and it's working now, but the tuning is still loose.  If I turn it slowly it will move, but it's not quite right.  It was a real pain getting everything back together--a lot like threading a sewing maching, but worse.  I never change the station, so I'm not going to open it up again, but I'm wondering if anyone else has experience or pointers on working with these sorts of things.

[SeanB]

Next time simply take the spring and cut off 3 turns and bend down a single turn to slip over the screw, so that the tension is right.  If you do that it will increase the tension back to the right level. I have also taken the spring and unwound that last coil the tab was on to form a hook, and slipped it through the hole instead, so the whole wide section holds it. A drop of nail varnish to lock it there and it will be fine.

[med6753]

Well hello there! Nice to "snow" ya! 



I picked it up about a year ago. Girl Friend's 95 year old Mother was going into a nursing home and it was in her apartment.
It powered up but you couldn't vary either the volume or tone controls. Turns out both shafts had broken plastic right where they go into the pots. Fixed it up and it works fine....on AM and FM of course. I did once connect a VCR to the antenna and got a decent picture.